A Dish best served cold
by PepsiOD
Summary: A post "Spirit of the Competition" AU. After catching Mako with Korra Bolin doesn't turn out so forgiving after all. And when he gets Asami on his side, they decide to serve up some sweet, sweet vengeance for good ol' Mako… [Rated T for Alcohol/Drug use and moderate Sexual references]
1. Chapter One-Night (夜)-Bolin

Hey, PepsiOD here. This is my first Fanfic, so while I don't expect anyone to go easy on it because of that (In fact, please be brutally honest), I do hope you can keep that in mind when any of you may comment on what I've written. And just a disclaimer, I do not own the _Avatar _franchise (Would be cool if I did, but it would be a bit too different), _that_ is produced by Nickelodeon and created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, so all rights and copyright goes to them.

Or, more professionally or simply; _Avatar Korra _(C) by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

Hope y'all enjoy, and please feel free to comment.

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**Chapter One**

**-Night (****夜****)-**

**-Bolin-**

No.

What.

Why.

Mako.

Bland, I know. But they were the only words going around my head at that time. I didn't have any words at all to describe just how hurt I was when I saw them.

Mako, my brother. My only family.

And Korra, the girl of my dreams.

The two of them, my pro-bending team, kissing on that balcony.

That short time in which it happened didn't feel anywhere near as long as it was. It felt like a forever where they just did something so blasphemous, and didn't even notice me, with that bouquet of pink roses I bought just for Korra, with my own share of the team's money.

I should've known that all those team issues would've lead to this. But I don't even bother to think about it. I feel my nose leak. Thick, disgusting ooze just pouring down my face and into my lips.

I couldn't look anymore, all I could do was just cry, and run back as fast as I could, I even forgot that Pabu was clinging to my shoulder, now I could just about feel his claws dig into my shirt.

"Bolin, this isn't what you think!" Mako yelled, but I wouldn't listen. I ran like I didn't want to see him again, which I didn't.

I ran like when that man in the alley killed my parents, when I saw their blood soaking their clothes, their faces full of pain and terror.

I ran like I didn't want to live anymore. I didn't even know whether or not I did anymore.

I ran until I couldn't breathe anymore, and my heart felt like it was gonna burst. I'd never sweated so much in my life, even in the first game I played for the Fire Ferrets, where Toza reassured me with compliments and punches to the shoulder, but I was so nervous regardless, and even that couldn't compare with how much I sweat just now.

I looked up, and saw the sign with the characters saying; "Narook's Seaweed Noodlery". I growled in disgust when it reminded me of Korra only hours ago. Korra. The girl with the light brown skin, the dark hair of a panther-hawk, and those piercing, blue eyes that only water tribespeople normally have.

Korra. The girl meant for me. I fantasized about the days where we first kiss, where we first consummated our love and then marriage, where I first held our child's hand. Guess it was all never meant to be.

As much as I hated the thought of her right now, I knew Pabu was hungry, since I could still hear the high pitched gurgling of his tiny stomach right next to my right ear, and I was hungry too. I didn't have the leftover energy to run another mile, so I had no other choice but to walk in. I was greeted with the smell of fish. Pungent but manageable. The owner of the restaurant, Narook, a middle-aged man from the Northern water tribe, (or south, I can't remember) greeted me with a big smile on his face.

"Hey, Bolin!" He boomed, "Back so soon already, I see? Heard the game went _real_ good tonight. You really killed that tie-breaker!"

"Yeah," I replied with my eyes to the ground and my hands in my pockets. I sniffed, "I guess."

Narook's expression changed to a concerned one. "Say, I'm not getting a good vibe outta you." He put his hands on my drooping arms. "You alright? You look like you died and got possessed by an angry spirit."

"Nah, Narook. I'm fine."

"If that means you're feeling like absolute shit, then I'd agree." He muttered. He began to look a bit uneasy. "I mean, you're Bolin for cryin' out loud! You're always so happy, so peppy, and the girls here love you! Eesh, now you look like you're Mako in Tahno's body…"

That comment particularly caught my nerves. My nose flared, my eyes burned, and my fists immediately clenched. I must've scared Narook, because he jumped back almost a metre back, with an expression of shock frozen on his face. For once in this past hour I felt sorry. I look down at my hands, and I see I clenched them so hard they've gone bright red. Narook didn't deserve me to almost blow up at him. I opened my mouth to apologize, but I couldn't make a sound. Finally tears ran down the sides of my face and the sound of my whimpering and sobbing broke the silence. Even with my face in my hands I knew I had attracted a crowd of eyes to point in my direction. The amount of my frustration, my anger, my sadness, and now my embarrassment was crippling.

"I'm… sorry… Narook… I'll leave now… thanks anyway…." I manage rattle out of my throbbing throat. I turn around to make my way to the door. Then I feel a hand on my shoulder.

"Wait." I hear Narook say calmly, slowly, and in a soothing, but monotone voice. "Look, I know it's none of my business, so I won't ask. All I'll say is that you need to calm down, especially before your big game tomorrow, and I know that you cannot screw it up."

"But that doesn't matter right now. So just this once, you get all the noodles, all the rice wine, and all the whatever-the-heck else you want tonight. Understand? I don't even know if you're the age to drink yet, but you look old enough anyway. You could use a couple'a shots too. But. Just. This. Once. You hear me?" I nod my head in silence. "Good." He replies. He turns to return to his office. "Hanako-san! Get this man a bowl of my famous crab and wonton noodle soup! _And make sure you do it right!_ Don't you think for a second that I forgot the incident with the Yu Dao river urchins…"

I sat down at the nearest table, and it was the one right in the far right corner from the entrance. And in just a few minutes I got my bowl. I hastily grabbed my chopsticks, and began gorging myself. My mouth was filled to the point of my cheeks stretching out. I didn't have much time to savour the flavor, but I could taste the shrimp, all clumped together in a single dumpling, and the crab, soft, but crunchy. Encased and fried in batter, and so easily uncovered. The meat was soft and stringy, almost melting in my mouth. The green noodles disappeared as quickly as they came. And not even a moment after, I hoisted the bowl up, and just swallowed all the soup. I didn't even care about people staring, I just needed to eat. I realize I completely forgot about Pabu. So since I was already ordering for him, I could just get another.

It was then I realized why Narook's noodles were so famous.

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So yeah, my first chapter of my first fanfic. Please let me know what I did alright so I can continue doing it, and what I can improve, as honestly as you can. Hope you enjoyed, and be sure to check the next chapter out ;)


	2. Chapter Two-Hungover (很难受)-Bolin

Hi, PepsiOD here again. Hope you liked the previous chapter, and hope you could leave some constructive criticism. Once more, please bear in mind this is my first fanfic, but be honest so I can do my best on it :)

As I mentioned before, _Avatar Korra _(C) by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

Once more, hope y'all enjoy, and please feel free to comment.

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**Chapter Two**

**-Hungover (很难受****)-**

**-Bolin-**

I couldn't even remember passing out. My vision was murky and impossible to process, but I forced my eyes to focus. I had this awful, fishy taste in my mouth, and my face and the table felt so greasy. All I could see is this monolith.. a dull gray monolith just in front of my face. I turned left and saw an orange object in a bowl. Oh, spirits, it was Pabu! I can't possibly know how much he ate but instead of being streamline and sturdy he was just this ball of fur... I'm pretty certain that allowing him (Or _forcing_ him, I can't remember) to eat that much constitutes _animal abuse_. I couldn't bear the thought of what it could do to him, I just dropped my head into my arms.

I was woken up again by the sound of my brother's… no, not brother. _Mako's_ voice. Telling me, "Come on… Wake up… I'm takin' you home, bro."

I hoisted myself up, and gathered my strength to look at him. I sniffed back a bit of snot hanging from my nose. I don't know what Narook put in my soup. I mean, I feel mentally sober, but my stomach hurt _a lot_. It's like my stomach was hungover, and I didn't even drink any rice wine.

"Don't call me that." I whimpered. I started to get my energy back with how angry I was again. "You're not my brother! You're a brother-betrayer.." I fell back down and sobbed. I felt so angry, but so useless, I still couldn't express myself when I wasn't even drunk, and I still couldn't find any good insults to use. All I could think of is, "The only one I can trust anymore, is Pabu… Pabu still loves me…" I hated Mako. And it just felt terrible not being able to blast him with all the curses I knew before last night. Why didn't I beat him up last night, instead of running away like a coward? Why couldn't I show Korra I was better than him, a cheating sore loser, a loner who hated everybody, who turned back on people who needed help? Why couldn't I remind her that I was the only one who showed her any interest that day she snuck into the gym? Why didn't I show her that I was the better person?!

"You're a mess, and we've got the biggest match of our lives tonight, let's go." He moved his hand toward me and I swatted it away.

"No!" I tried to scream, "I'm not going anywhere with you… you traitor!" Pointing at his face, I felt a little bit triumphant. I saw nothing on his face change, but deep down I thought he was getting hit hard.

"Guess we'll have to do this the hard way." Mako calmly replied, as he grabbed my arm and lifted me up onto his shoulders. I tried my best to fight back, I tried yelling, and I tried to thrash around but my arms and legs wouldn't respond strong enough. "I told you dating a teammate was a bad idea." I rushed to find a good reply, and I found it. "You're a bad idea!" …No. That sounded better in my head. I gave up, and just yelled for him to put me down. Pabu started following but with his gut swollen like that it was pretty tough, poor guy. I wish I could've picked him up first. He was the only one who really seemed to be happy to see me since the day I got him back at the pet store before he was pythonaconda food. Yeah, Mako helped but only when I was the one getting strangled. Some brother he is.

When we got back to the gym, I passed back out. I don't remember waking up again so Mako must've at least known I needed more sleep. But by the time I woke up it was an hour or two before the semifinal tournament with the Buzzard Wasps! Mako may not have a concept of time or seem to care what happens to me but seriously? I still felt super beat so I struggled to get my gear on. Mako and I didn't talk at all. We just changed, and when Korra came in, we still didn't talk. I just put my head down and stayed quiet. As much as I wanted to say we were through, Narook was right, this was the biggest tournament of our lives. If we… if I screw this up, I might not be able to make it back like Toza did. Maybe Mako was right, that you either hustle, or get hustled, or something like that… No, shut up I'm turning into Mako. But is that such a bad thing? Why does Mako get the girls but I just get the fans? He acted like he didn't even care, but I guess he didn't listen when I said, 'Leave some ladies for the rest of us!' And what happened to 'keeping our priorities straight'? Wasn't Asami a priority? Wasn't the team a priority? That selfish hypocrite. I hope the Buzzard Wasps kill him tonight… wait, is that going too far?

Ugh, all these second thoughts drive me crazy. The thought of trying to defend Mako just makes me sick.

But really, would that be going _too_ far?

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Please let me know what I did alright so I can continue doing it, and what I can improve, as honestly as you can. Hope you enjoyed, and be sure to check the next chapter out ;)


	3. Chapter 3-Losing my Noodles, LITERALLY

Hey, PepsiOD here. Sorry I haven't written in so long. Year 10 (_Or as the American system would call it, 9th Grade_) has been hecka busy and I've been damn short of time. And worse, writer's block too. That last part may also explain the possibly-inferior chapter this is and I humbly apologize if such is the case. I'll try and work on this a bit more often and as usual, let me know what to improve on or keep doing. :)

Yada yada, i_nsert legal info_, _Avatar Korra _(C) by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

Hope y'all enjoy, and please feel free to comment.

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**Chapter 3-Losing My noodles, literally-Bolin**

Once we get to the stadium, I'm feeling a bit more lively and awake, but still shaky. Still it's enough to keep me going for the majority of the match. The enemy players looked pretty buff and mean, but I've dealt with guys like them on the streets… that didn't end well. I came out of it with no food, half a yuan note and a few broken ribs. Only really managed to get them fixed after Toza took us in.

The bell rang, and we all instantly sprung into action. The Buzzard wasps took the first shots and we dodged, taking our shots after. Korra and Mako both got pushed back into the second zone by the other water and fire benders. I followed a moment after. And just a second or two after Mako gets knocked back to the final zone.

_This is bad. _I thought. _Still serves him right though. _I shake my head. I need to focus.

Korra makes her move and I throw the earth coins. One of mine bursts into a cloud and another of theirs slams me right in the gut. _My ribs… Oh. Oh, holy spirits. _I immediately forget about my ribs as the half-digested remains of last night's noodle-binge start churning in my stomach. I slowly edge my way to the edge of the ring, throw my helmet off, all while trying desperately to keep my mouth shut, and I double over. It would've been nicer if I puked sooner or at least gone to the bathroom before the match, because everything came out. LITERALLY EVERYTHING. And not just that, it was all acidy and stung in my throat and mouth. I can't even keep my eyes open (fortunately), I'm just consumed with this feeling of pain and just how much is coming out of me, even through my nose, so I can't breathe.

I know I should probably call it quits but I decide to stay on. I've only got two seconds to catch my breath but it helps that the shock of being sick brought back my senses, and not having so much food in me means I'm lighter on my feet again.

Then again, maybe it's just so I have the luxury of seeing our team lose. The wasps just keep coming and coming at us until we're in the final zone, and just to rub it in our faces, Mako gets knocked out. Good thing for us the bell rings just when my toes are on the edge.

I'm panting like a polar bear dog in the Sandbender deserts, I'm sweating like a fish out of water (_Okay, maybe they don't sweat, but you get what I mean)_, and Korra and I turn around to see Mako getting pulled out. _Okay, at least we've got him back_. I think, forgetting about earlier.

The bell rings again and the carnage starts all over again. Mako gets knocked back and I keep throwing the slabs, but for whatever reason Mako decides to hit me in the back of my head with his bending! Pissed off, I turn and tell him, "Hey! Watch it!" That was a mistake, seeing as I get hit again by waterbending. This time it's so hard I get thrown right into the water. Just as I start yelling I fall right into the freezing cold water, swallowing a mouthful of it. I'm shivering, and hoping I didn't swallow any of my leftover puke, that would be the last straw.

While I'm watching from below, Korra seems to be doing alright, but then she starts fooling around with the other waterbender, throwing her up with water. Gahhh! She knows she'll get a foul for that, but if that's not enough, she waterbends at the ref, getting a freaking yellow fan… Now I seriously consider trying to drown myself right now this is so embarrassing. All of this.. This could've been avoided if we practiced more… no. Wait. All of these problems wouldn't happen if we had worked together! If Mako didn't step on my heart and cheat on Asami with _my_ crush, Korra! We'd all have been happily working as a team if this didn't happen, but no, Mako had to ruin it all, especially for me!

Anyway. I climb out, and I get on the lift, after I make my way drenched in cold water, back onto the fighting ground, it's the third round, and the only chance we'll win is a knockout. Like that'll happen.

"Well, I guess there's always next year." The traitor mumbles. How reassuring. Well, actually it is kinda, but not really.

"Come on, we still have a chance!" Korra says, "Even if it is a slim one."

Slim. More like non-existent. We're playing like we're just trying to keep ourselves alive, not the others. It isn't just Mako and Korra doing that, it's me too. I know they're personally part of my life but in the team it's supposed to be different. We're supposed to put all our problems aside and play 'one for all, and all for all, right?' Maybe that's just not gonna happen. Maybe our little gig is over. Maybe we'll just be a one hit wonder after all. Maybe going back to Shady Shin isn't such a bad thing after all, at least we'll be able to do that until we're both old, right? Maybe this is just another kid's fantasy that eventually dies with age. Maybe.

"The way we're playing, we don't even deserve to be in the finals." I tell her.

"Look, if we don't pull together and work as a team, we'll never forgive ourselves." Korra replies.

Mako simply tells her, "Let's get this over with." I respond saying, "The sooner, the better."

Actually, she does have a point. Maybe Mako would forget about it, but I'd never forgive myself, I'd never forget. I'd always remember this as my greatest failure. And maybe she knows that, but regardless, I can't let that happen. At least if I try, and we lose, I'll remember I didn't just give up.

After we're all done sulking, we get back into our positions, ready to take them on. I'm still nervous and skeptical, _But remember. _I remind myself, _You've got one chance, just one chance to get it right. Show them what you're made of._

The bell rings and I get knocked back into Zone two, with Mako coming soon after. Then the other earthbender sends an earth coin rolling upside my shoulder, which at that speed, hurts a lot more than it sounds. I felt something shift in my shoulder and crack.

I yell in pain, Mako sees me and yells, but he's knocked back into the water. I try my luck with my good arm, but that doesn't help all too much. A few seconds later I get hit again, and land back in the water. The freezing temperature working against the hot pain of my shoulder really makes it sting, and its even more difficult to keep my head up, and this time I do not feel like drowning.

Swimming back up, I try to grab the ledge of the platform to the elevator, but every time I just fumble it, and its made worse by my not having any air. I finally grapple onto the ladder, but trying to pull myself up just hurts too much, my shoulder sending pulses of pain just right through me, and I'm actually kinda surprised that I can hold on for so long.

I looked up, and saw that Mako was kneeling down, with a smug little smile on his face and he's got a hand out for me. Now I've got two options here: Preferably I'd not take his hand, and just drown so I don't have to look at his ugly mug anymore. But then I would die, so there wouldn't be any Bolin to go around the world anymore, and I personally wouldn't like to drown on such an important match. I take the hand, and he pulls me up, making my shoulder feel like it's tearing apart, but I keep my mouth shut.

I try to stand up, and just when I'm about to, Mako decides to patronize me and pulls me up and keep me steady. _I can go at my own pace, can't I?_

"Are you okay?" He asks, "How's your shoulder?"

I grunt, "It's messed up pretty bad, but I think I'll be alright." We step unto the elevator and it starts going up. "Not like that matters."

"Look, I'm sorry." Mako moans, "We'll get through this mess."

I sigh, I just can't bother to listen to that guy's voice anymore. He thinks after all that last night that I'm suddenly gonna forgive him and say _I'm sorry? C'mon!_

Just when I'm in the middle of my moping, and just feeling sorry for myself, the elevator moves up past the edge of the playing ground, and I can't believe what I'm seein', but Korra's holding out against the Buzzard Wasps! They throw fire, water and earth all at her but she just straight-up dodges every single throw they make!

Now I know, there's only about ten seconds left, but I'm still just shocked at how well she's doing. She does a quick kick/cartwheel and a stream of water knocks the opposite waterbender back. Then, she gets a circle of water swirling around her, does a dramatic stance for a sec, and then the Buzzard wasps fall right into the trap: They move into a straight line, and _bam! _All three right in the water in one shot!

The crowd's cheering, Korra's waving to them, but I can't even hear myself _think _with how loud I'm just screeching my victory gloats. We_won. I can't freaking believe it!_

Everything's all fine and dandy, and Mako seems in a pretty good mood too, and then he gives me a bear hug and lifts me up. That just makes my perfect little bubble pop, and reality sinks in again. _Man, get me outta here!_

_"Shoulder, Shoulder!" _I cry, but that's of course not why I'm telling him to get his damn hands off me. Mako says sorry, not like he means it though.

Looking up, I see Korra in all her tan, slightly sweaty glory. I try and think of something cool to say, but being miserable does tend to hamper things a little, so all that comes out is; "That… was pretty much the coolest thing I've ever seen."

"Thanks for not giving up on us. We never would have made it this far without you. I owe you, _big time_." Mako cuts in.

"You're welcome." Korra pauses a moment, and looks to the other side. "So ... I know things are confusing right now, but I hope we can still be friends."

Just before I can try to say anything, Mako beats me to it and says, "Definitely." Ugh, can he ever give me a break?! I don't even think she was talking to him at all! Why would she apologize to him if _I _was the one hurt? Why does he always have to act like the bigger person who knows the world better? Even when I tried to save Pabu from the Pythonaconda, he didn't do anything until I was almost _dead. _Is that what brothers do? Try to one-up each other all the time?

And again, I'm cut off by something else: Tahno and the White Falls Wolfbats start walking into the locker room. The others just seem to mind their own business, but Tahno sniffs louder than one of those elephant rats from my kid years, and acts all grossed out and all.

"Ooh, oof. You boys smell something in here?" he sarcastically drones, with a smile going across his chops, "Wait, I know what that is; yeah, that's the scent of _losers_."

That just gets my inner-firebender angry, sending flames up my chest like it were Sozin's comet all year 'round, and I try and do my best to give him the best evil eye I've got… I'm not so good at it.

Korra seems to do a better job of it, "I hope we see you in the finals, then we'll know who the losers _really_ are."

Tahno just stares at her, still walking to the stage, kinda backwards. Somehow he manages to defy my hopes of him falling straight into the water, and just to rub more salt in the wound, he tells her, in his usual _losery_ style, "Yeah, I'm peeing my pants over here."

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Once again, sorry this isn't so good, whenever I do this I always seem to stay up late. Again, I will try to work on this more often, because I've pretty much got the whole story planned out, and it might not be good to just leave this baby half-way out of its mother. _(Nasty. I apologize, dear eating-and-reading multi-taskers)_

Please let me know what I did alright so I can continue doing it, and what I can improve, as honestly as you can. Hope you enjoyed, and be sure to check the next chapter out, if Occupy Central does not escalate far enough ;)


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